Judges and doctors working at public hospitals have joined the wave of protests in Greece against new salary cuts promoted by the government as it struggles to finalize an 11.5 billion euro (15.1 billion U.S. dollars) austerity package to unlock fresh international rescue loans.

Judges and other court personnel undertook three-hour work stoppages on Monday, and are scheduled to do so for the next two weeks.

As of Monday, public hospitals across Greece will operate on minimum service as doctors join the work stoppage protests and request refunds for their nightshifts. Only emergency incidents will be treated in the coming days.

On Tuesday, employees in the public transport system follow with a 24-hour strike, while the two main worker unions in the private and public sector respectively, GSEE and ADEDY, have called for a general strike on Sept. 26.

It will be the first major mobilization this autumn in protest of new austerity measures introduced by the government under pressure from the European Union (EU), European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) lenders.

The Greek coalition government of Antonis Samaras aims to strike an agreement on the new austerity package by Friday with EU/IMF inspectors in Athens.

A green light from auditors will clear the way for the release of vital further loans to Greece under bailout deals signed since 2010 to avoid a catastrophic bankruptcy and a possible exit from the eurozone.